Belgium

First (proper, excluding Eddie’s wee break) stop after crossing the Channel… Bruges! We found a place to kip just outside town on a park and ride stop by a canal. It was such a gorgeous spot with such an epic sunset that we couldn’t resist a quick evening wander.

We set off to explore town the next morning, Cat and Sammy walking along the canal while Adam and Eddie cycled getting lots of comments from other cyclists as we went (which we think sounded more like being impressed at the small boy cycling and not wondering what those crazy parents doing letting him ride next to a large body of water!?!… hopefully). Anyway we made it into town and nobody drowned.

It didn’t take long to realise why everyone raves about Bruges! We wandered along super pretty canals until we found a boat tour to show us around properly, then found our way to the main square in search of lunch: mussels for Cat and steak frites (accompanied by a beer of course) were a must! We pootled around completing our tour of all three of the enormous Central churches fuelled with waffles for pudding.

Feeling like no trip to Belgium would be complete without some local beer, we headed to Huisbrouwerij De Halve Maan to do this justice. We shared a Brugse Zot Blonde and Brugse Zot Dubbel between us (literally named ‘Bruges Fool’… something about some kings impression of the people of Bruges at some carnival they put on for him that they seem inordinately proud of), then it was time to make the kids ready for bed and get back on the road, not to wake up until the Netherlands!